CHICAGO — Thunderstorms nearly kept Coach Scott Frost, quarterback Adrian Martinez, linebacker Mohamed Barry and defensive lineman Khalil Davis from Big Ten Media Days on Thursday. Chicago’s two airports were met with delays and cancelations due to the morning storms, which ultimately delayed the Huskers for a period of time in Peoria, Illinois.
After later landing in Gary, Indiana, the Huskers made the 40-minute drive to Chicago, arriving just before 12 p.m. CT. Frost was originally scheduled at the podium at noon but flipped with Illinois Lovie Smith. Frost instead addressed the media just after 12:15 p.m.
Here’s a quick rundown of his time at the podium:
>> Frost first addressed the Huskers’ tardiness to Big Ten Media Days with a joke.
“Sorry we’re a little bit late,” he said. “Our plane got diverted but we’re here now. Spent a little time in a hotel in Gurnee selling shower curtain rings.”
>> Recruiting Michigan? No problem for Nebraska.
“We’ll go where the players are,” Frost said. “I don’t care if they’re from Jamaica or Kazakstan, we’ll go where we need.”
>> While Nebraska went 4-8 in 2018, Frost saw a lot of improvement in the Huskers’ mentality, attitude and decisions as a team. He felt that everyone in the state and the building were happy with the progress at the end of the season.
With that said, Frost wants to be clear: The Huskers still have plenty of work to do.
>> We can make comparisons between Year 1 and Year 2 at Nebraska and UCF, but Frost won’t.
“We coached a lot of good kids and a lot of good players in Orlando,” he said. “We have a lot of good kids and a lot of good players in Lincoln.”
He gets to coach the team, and that’s where he’s focused.
>> Remember that “get Nebraska now” line from last year’s Media Days? “I don’t remember saying that directly to the coaches,” Frost joked.
However, he also said Year 2 typically is easier than Year 1 and that he has “a strong sense that we're way ahead of where we were a year ago.”
>> How about being picked to win the Big Ten West?
"We're better. We're better than we were a year ago,” Frost said. “The rest of it, we're going to have to earn."
>> Frost typically would bring seniors to Big Ten Media Days, but he said the Huskers won’t have many seniors on the offensive side of the ball. For that reason, it was important to bring sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez. It works out though, because Frost believes he represents Nebraska exactly how the coaches want it represented.
Plus, “he deserves it.”
>> One more thing about Martinez: “I wouldn’t trade our guy for anybody in the country at the quarterback position,” Frost said.
Erin is the Deputy Editor and Digital Marketing Strategist for Hail Varsity. She has covered Nebraska athletics since 2012, which has included stops at Bleacher Report, Cox Media Group’s Land of 10, and even Hail Varsity (previously from 2012-2017). She has also been featured on the Big Ten Network, NET’s Big Red Wrap-Up, and a varsity of radio shows nationwide. When not covering the Huskers, Erin is probably at Chipotle.
